Tennis: Rafter was drunk in Cup tie
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The Australian Davis Cup captain, John Newcombe, had to defend his No 2 singles player, Pat Rafter, after an admission that he went on court drunk during the weekend's quarter-final victory over the Czech Republic.
Rafter confessed to being inebriated after a night of celebration when he arrived at Adelaide ground for his reverse singles match against David Rikl on Sunday.
"I was still drunk coming here this morning," Rafter told reporters after Sunday's match. "I started sobering up half-way through - I felt great in the third set," said Rafter, who beat Rikl in three sets in the dead rubber.
Australia, who won the tie 5-0, took an unassailable 3-0 lead after the doubles on Saturday, prompting a team celebration that night. Newcombe was unhappy that Rafter, ranked 43 in the world, had made his admission but defended the player's professionalism. "It was not too smart of Pat to say those things," Newcombe said. "But I feel the comments have been exaggerated."
In their World Group semi-final in September, the Australians will meet the United States, for whom Andre Agassi rallied from a two-set deficit to lead his side to victory over the Netherlands on Sunday. Agassi beat Jan Siemerink 3-6, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 to give the Americans an insurmountable 3-1 lead.
Martina Hingis, the new women's No 1, beat Monica Seles 3-6, 6-3, 7- 6 on Sunday to win the Family Circle championship at Hilton Head, South Carolina.
A week after beating Seles 6-2, 6-1 in 44 minutes to win the Lipton, Hingis needed more than two hours for her sixth title this year. Her streak of 31 match victories is the equal sixth-best run of all time.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments